Now that Democrats and Republicans have chosen their candidates for the municipal election in November, the political season has begun.

The Pilot encourages readers to write letters to the editor to air their opinions, good and bad, on local, state and national topics, but to keep letters civil and in good taste.

No name calling, please.

Due to space considerations, letters must be written by Redding residents, former residents, town employees, politicians who represent Redding, or officials from agencies that serve Redding, in order to appear in The Pilot.

Redding is a town filled with educated and successful people with a lot to say. Some people are angry and upset about politics, government, taxes, and a multitude of other issues.

Letter writers are encouraged to share their strong and varied opinions, ideas, praises, and frustrations, but to do so in a respectful manner.

The Pilot’s policy limits letters to 300 words due to space considerations.

During election season, the length of endorsement letters is limited to 100 words.

Letters must be received by Tuesday at noon for that week’s paper, which is delivered on Thursday to mailboxes and newsstands and in digital format.

The Pilot also requires letter writers to include the name of the road they live on.

The Friends of the Norwal River Valley Trail report continued progress on construction of the new 0.5 miles of east-side “Wilton Loop” (located at Sharp Hill Road to near Twin Oak Lane in Wilton).

The trail is planned to one day run from Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk to Rogers Park in Danbury, and will run through a portion of Redding.

Trail builder Timber & Stone LLC has made the following progress since a groundbreaking event and work day on Saturday, June 27th.

Trail excavation (about 3,000 feet) has been completed, and the trail’s base layer has been laid with geotextile fabric plus 3/4” minus gravel to a depth of 4-6 inches. This takes the trail to a point that will be the south end of a future boardwalk in the area of Twin Oak Lane.

Hand edging work (pulling roots, smoothing etc.) has continued, and special features have been added to the trail — notably a bump-out containing a rock ‘bench.’

This week, starting Monday July 27, Timber & Stone began laying and rolling the final surface of the trail, placing coping stones to define turns, and adding other final details.

A decision will be made on whether to cross an intermittent brook near the north end of the section with a culvert or a bridge.

The overall target — which is dependent on continuing favorable weather — remains to complete the new sections by the end of August.

On the west side of the Loop, construction of trail along the south side of Horseshoe Pond awaits a wetlands permit.

The new trail has been made possible by generous donations from the community.

To Contribute: “The Friends of the NRVT,” P.O. Box 174, Georgetown, CT 06829, or make a contribution via the Donate button on our website — www.nrvt-trail.com.

]]>For a conscious cook, summer is a heavenly bounty of goodness. First the tender lettuces arrive,along with great heads of kale and bok choy,swiftly followed by overflowing baskets of zucchini and summer squash, crisp cucumbers, and juicy tomatoes. But perhaps the greatest prize of all is sweet corn, the pined-for pinnacle of summer produce. All winter long, cooks wait eagerly for the return of hot humid days, when eatingsweet corn on the cob is a summer rite of passage.

Fresh sweet corn is so tender, so full of milky sweetness and succulence, it can be eaten raw, straight off the cob. Bursting with natural sugars , fresh corn is an amazing ingredient that transforms any summer meal into an extraordinary experience.

The versatile little nuggets will add tempting texture and sensational sweetness to so many preparations.Fresh corn salads can be constructed by adding finely diced Vidalia onion and red peppers to fresh corn and dressing with olive oil, lime juice, chopped cilantro and plenty of black pepper, or jalapeno pepper, if you prefer even more of a kick. Or add diced, grilled chicken cubes to that same bowl, but swap out fresh basil and parsley for the cilantro and whisk in a bit of pestoor pesto mayonnaise for a creamier, heartier salad.

Summer corn chowder is an exhilarating epicurean experience, especially when made with just harvested baby potatoes, a bit of smoky bacon, plenty of Italian parsley and a good grinding of black pepper. Try adding fresh corn kernels to your Sunday morning pancake or waffle batter, or incorporate into your favorite cornbread or corn muffin recipe for a marvelous burst of flavor.For aunique summer hors d’oeuvre, try a corn dip, blended with cream cheese and spices.Serve it with crunchy chips and veggies and you and your guests will be swooning.

Sweet corn offers superb health benefits as it is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that protect vision and offer cell protection throughout the body. Sweet corn is full of dietary fiber which helps keep the body’s elimination system running smoothly. An ear of corn has a similar calorie count to an apple, and less than half the amount of sugar. Sweet corn contains a significant amount of vitamins C, B1, B5, folate, phosphorus and manganese.

Visit your local farmer’s marketfor the golden bounty of fresh summer sweet corn. Bring it home, and eat it that very day, as you prepare your delicious life.

Blend cream cheese, yogurt and sour cream together in a bowl until well mixed. Stir in remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more cumin, chile powder, jalapeno, etc. as desired. If a little salt is desired, add that as well. If you want a bit more decadence you can add shredded cheddar cheese to the mixture. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Robin Glowa, HHC, AADP,“The Conscious Cook “, is a passionate food and wellness professional who earned her certification in holistic health counseling from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University Teacher’s College. She earned her cooking experience in the kitchen! Robin specializes in teaching healthy cooking classes to children and adults utilizing fresh, natural ingredients and super simple, extra delicious recipes. She also conduct cooking demonstrations for many local organizations and is available for cooking parties and private instruction as well. For more information go to www.theconsciouscook.net. Robin’s blog is confessionsofaconsciouscook.blogspot.com

]]>The early Hyundai Santa Fe, a midsize SUV, was rather frumpy, noisy and thirsty, but it did have its virtues. For one thing, it had a great power-train warranty. Plus, it was cheap, it had a long list of features other automakers charged extra for, and at a very basic level, it could do most of what its more refined competitors could do. But that isn’t how Hyundai and its popular SUV roll nowadays. The negatives are gone, but the base price exceeds the likes of the Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV-4, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox and Honda CR-V.

Of course, “base price” is a relative term. As always, Hyundai serves up a long, diverse menu of standard features. Our test car, a Mineral Gray 2015 Santa Fe Sport with all-wheel drive and the more powerful of two available engines, had a base price of $33,000. If you want everything on Hyundai’s lengthy “Included” list, but you don’t want a Hyundai, you’ll be paying extra for many of these features, if they’re available at all.

The Santa Fe Sport is a light-duty SUV with just 7.3 inches of ground clearance. With all-wheel drive, it’ll handle inclement or snowy weather, as well as mild off-road terrain. It’s designed for comfort for four or five passengers, and its cargo bay is big enough for most situations at 35.4 cubic feet. And put any nightmare visions of the misshapen early Santa Fe models aside. The 2015 Santa Fe’s design may not be daring, but this SUV is stylish and nicely proportioned.

The base Santa Fe Sport, with a 2.4-liter, 190-horsepower inline Four and front-wheel drive, starts at just under $25,000. It delivers respectable fuel economy of 27 mpg on the highway, compared with our test car’s 24 mpg – with all-wheel drive and a turbocharged 2.0-liter, 264-horsepower Four.

Hyundai did not skimp on interior materials, and this West-Point, Ga.-built SUV appears to have been assembled meticulously. The engineering is also of a high order, especially where safety is concerned. The Santa Fe earned the top 5-star rating in government crash tests.

In addition to the Sport, Hyundai offers an extended model simply called the Santa Fe. It comes equipped with a 3.3-liter, 290-horsepower V-6 engine and a third seat, enabling it to transport six or seven people. The extended Santa Fe’s base price is $30,150. For those who would prefer something smaller and a few thousand dollars cheaper, Hyundai also offers a compact SUV called the Tucson. The base model starts at $21,650.

Steven Macoy (semacoy@gmail.com) is a longtime car enthusiast and full-time editor who lives in Bethel, Conn.

Adam Feld is the kind of guy who — even when facing brain cancer — can’t help but watch the dynamics of his situation with great interest.

“The tumor cuts off blood to parts of his brain. He loses his executive function, the part that controls the change from thoughts to actions,” his father, Gary Feld says.

“But, in a way,” his mother, Redding Elementary School teacher Karen Feld says, “Adam thinks this is all so interesting. That’s just his brain working.”

Just before doctors performed Adam’s first brain surgery in 2011 — to remove an aggressive tumor the size of a softball — Ms. Feld told him, “Even if they take a fourth of your brain out, you’ll still be way smarter than a lot of people.”

And, she was right.

“He experienced tremors and things,” she said, “but no one could see his deficits. But, it’s still been especially cruel and hard for that part of him to be attacked like this.”

Since 2011, now 33-year-old Adam has been diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer, though his doctors believe a tumor has been growing in his brain for at least 15 to 20 years. Surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York removed that tumor, but warned Adam his kind of cancer would never be fully in remission.

Working as an aerospace retrofit and modernization analyst, he was “clear” of cancer until February of 2015, when a regular check-up MRI revealed his brain cancer had progressed to stage four glioblastoma — a fatal disease.

With such an advanced cancer, the cost of his treatments have skyrocketed, and his family has set up a GoFundMe page to help support him.

Though he’s had good days and bad days since then, his parents say, they’ve been amazed at his bravery.

“He’s so insanely brave,” Ms. Feld says. “I look at him and admire him and he’s so brave and strong, I just can’t believe that. I’ve never seen a more brave and strong person. I would be curled up in a ball praying to die.”

“He’s always say ‘this isn’t so bad,’” his father adds.

Nonetheless, for Adam, cancer no longer presents many questions.

“The only question is, how much longer?” Mr. Feld says. “There is no cure.”

In Redding

Adam Feld, and his brother Hal, grew up in Redding quite close to the West Redding train station — a location that was not an accident. During the winter, you can see trains running into the station just beyond the Felds’ backyard, a perfect feature for a young man who loved the railroad.

In school, Feld excelled, and he considered going to college early. A member of MENSA, he eventually graduated from the University of Connecticut and started a career within a small community of analysts who predict the future needs of airlines.

Many in town might remember him, his brother and his father, Gary, by a defining feature.

“The only bad-ass thing my boys did was grow their hair really long,” Ms. Feld says with a half-laugh. “They never had any tattoos or piercings. But, now they all have shaved heads.”

While his father and brother shave their heads voluntarily now, Adam doesn’t have much of a choice. He’s lost most of his hair to rounds of radiation and the scars of biopsies.

But, being afflicted with brain cancer has given both Adam and his parents worse problems than hair loss.

Costs for treatment have skyrocketed to “well within six figures,” Mr. Feld says, as Adam’s health insurance does not fully cover many required services.

“The copays on the MRIs in a hospital setting are $1,000 a pop, because his insurance doesn’t cover MRIs in hospitals,” Mr. Feld offered as an example. “So, every MRI done at Sloan, or Danbury Hospital is Adam’s responsibility to pay, which in reality is probably going to be our responsibility.”

Such a hardship has led the normally “very private” family to start a fund in order to help raise money for Adam’s treatment.

“We really, really need the help. And we are prepared, emotionally, to ask for help. Adam is also ready, emotionally, to ask for help. At first, he wanted nothing because he’s got so much pride, and it’s so important for him to hold onto his dignity. But we’re ready. We’re at that point.”

Though costs and bills have begun to hit the family hard, there is nothing worse than the emotional trauma such a disease brings.

“A week ago, we thought he only had a couple of weeks left. Now, he’s starting to improve again, so we have to change our whole thought process to, ‘well, maybe he can come home,’” Mr. Feld says. “And right before his last crisis, we were thinking maybe he can start to drive a car again.”

Knowing the traumatic process the family was going through, many of the Felds’ friends kept encouraging them to set up a public fund for Adam. Their encouragement finally worked a few months ago.

“All of my friends wanted me to start a fund — but telling the world was so hard on us because we are so private,” Ms. Feld said.

“But, we’ve gone through so many levels of grieving and acceptance and, finally, one night Gary was going to the hospital and I said, ‘I’m going to do this.’ It took me two and a half hours on the Go Fund Me site, but I did it.

“And, money is coming in,” she said. “Some of Adam’s old high school friends are appearing. There’s also been a lot of anonymous donors. The support is just incredibly heartwarming.”

Anyone may donate to Adam’s treatment fund in three ways. They can:

• Mail a check or cash to a special P.O. box set up for the fund (P.O. Box 644, West Redding, CT 06896).

]]>http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/07/31/a-native-son-with-brain-cancer-could-use-your-help/feed/0Seatbelt pullover leads to arrest in Reddinghttp://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/07/31/seatbelt-pullover-leads-to-arrest-in-redding/
http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/07/31/seatbelt-pullover-leads-to-arrest-in-redding/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 17:47:15 +0000http://www.thereddingpilot.com/?p=25459Christian Barry, 26, of Brookfield was arrested on a warrant after he was pulled over...

Christian Barry, 26, of Brookfield was arrested on a warrant after he was pulled over in Redding for driving without a seat belt.

Barry was pulled over on Route 53 around 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 23 after officers saw him driving without a seatbelt. When officers ran his information, they saw he had a Redding warrant for his arrest.

The warrant — for fourth-degree larceny — was issued in early 2015 after police identified Barry as a suspect in a burglary that occurred on Woodland Drive in January.

He creates special films we can’t wait to see again, like Annie Hall and Bullets Over Broadway. He delivers movies we enjoy at the time, such as Midnight in Paris and Everyone Says I Love You. And, unfortunately, he turns out flicks we wish we had skipped. Including this one.

There’s no reason to sit through the long 90 minutes of Irrational Man unless you like movie popcorn, enjoy a theater’s air conditioning or try to see every Joaquin Phoenix movie. Woody Allen’s latest entry is pointless, sour and uninspired. No one seems committed to the work; the actors rush through their scenes as if they know the film isn’t working and Allen, off camera this time, sends signals he’s less interested, too. His punch lines are less observant, the characters less developed and the production values rather skimpy. Irrational Man seems less a movie than an afterthought.

That’s okay. Any director who has made more than 50 movies in almost 50 years can’t make a masterpiece every time. But it’s difficult to believe this film comes from the same mind that gives us so many movies we savor. What’s concerning is not what happens on the screen; we have seen Woody Allen duds before. It’s that the film suggests Allen didn’t have much fun making it. And when he doesn’t enjoy what’s happening behind the camera, chances are we won’t like what we see.

Allen doesn’t seem to know what the movie is about. After a rambling opening — where we meet a hard-drinking philosophy professor with a scandalous reputation — the writer Allen seems uncertain where to take the plot. Should he make the movie about an older man’s attraction to a younger woman? As in Manhattan? Or should he explore a man’s journey to self-awareness as in Midnight in Paris? Instead, Allen decides to re-use a plot from Crimes and Misdemeanors to embrace the possibility of a rational person committing a serious crime. But the director Allen only suggests what may be lurking beneath the surface of this brooding man. Instead of giving us a thoughtful look inside a troubled soul, he chooses to water down the story with predictable situations. Instead of investing his characters, he tries to get by with stale one-liners and obvious plot turns.

The actors are lost. Phoenix — who can look disconnected even when he is connected — is so detached from the material that he could be reading cue cards. Emma Stone relies on her appealing personality to shape her portrayal of a college student, but there’s no character for her to play. And Parker Posey looks desperate to find the substance of a woman so hungry for excitement that she throws herself at every available man.

None of this would matter if Irrational Man made us laugh or think. Woody Allen knows how to that. But he may have needed more time working on the script before he set up the first shot. Irrational Man is a reel disappointment from a man who gives us a lot to savor at the movies.

Film Nutritional Value

Irrational Man

* Content: Low. Woody Allen doesn’t seem to know what story he wants to tell in a film that feels overlong at 90 minutes.

* Entertainment: Low. Emma Stone’s engaging personality is about the only thing that helps pass the time in a film caught up in its confusion.

* Message: Medium. The dilemma of someone who is good — thinking of doing something bad — can be interesting to pursue. But not here.

* Opportunity for Dialogue: Low. You may find yourself talking about all the good movies that Woody Allen has made over the years.

(Irrational Man is rated R for “some language and sexual content.” The film runs 96 minutes.)

2 Popcorn Buckets

Woody’s Not the Only One:

With Irrational Man, Woody Allen reminds us that even a great moviemaker can make a disappointing film. He’s not alone. Many directors have turned out duds during careers filled with acclaim.

Let’s take a look.

Steven Spielberg

This legendary director – and two-time Oscar winner – gives us many reasons to go to the movies. But not everything works on his big screen. Today it’s easy to forget the disappointment of Always, a romantic drama starring Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter. This remake of the classic A Guy Named Joe gets lost in its suds and is only notable for the final screen appearance of Audrey Hepburn in a cameo role. Spielberg also disappoints with The War of the Worlds – lacking any of the suspenseful drive that marks his best thrillers – and the disastrous Hook. This re-telling of the story of Peter Pan reminds us that even the best director can get trapped by a bad script.

Robert Redford

The movies this director contributes – from Ordinary People to Quiz Show – make us want to see more. And his contribution to the role of independent film has changed the industry. But even this Oscar winner can make a dud. In 2007, the teaming of Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise in a political thriller must have looked like a sure thing. But Redford the director even has trouble getting an inspired performance from Redford the actor and, while Streep can play anything, she is challenged to bring authenticity to the words of writer Matthew Michael Carnahan. This feels more like a professor’s lecture than a movie on the screen. And Redford’s stodgy direction doesn’t help.

Oliver Stone

It’s hard to believe this two-time Oscar winner turns out so many turkeys. For every Born on the Fourth of July and Platoon he churns out a disappointment like The Doors or World Trade Center. Three of his duds stand out. Alexander destroys any movie memories of the grand costume epics of the 1960s with a story more outrageous than the worst of those overblown favorites. W manages to show disrespect for a man who – regardless of political views – deserves the benefit of the doubt for moments no one observed. And Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps undoes the memory of a near-classicwith a sequel that never should have been made.

Martin Scorcese

This master moviemaker brings a fresh approach to every topic he explores. Who else could imagine Hugo in vivid 3-D? Or turn a pot boiler like The Departed into an Oscar winner? Or bring to life the stories of the underworld in Goodfellas and Casino? But Scorcese is far from invincible. While he made a credible musical early in his career – New York, New York – he is less successful when trying comedy (After Hours) or costume drama (Kundun). Never is he as lost as when he tries to bring credibility to the outrageous would-be thriller Shutter Island. This overdrawn story of a missing murderess stretches its credibility from the outset. And Leonardo DiCaprio – again the focus of Scorcese’s attention – looks lost in role he clearly doesn’t understand. In a movie we can’t understand.

Clint Eastwood

Yes, he continues to amaze with the scope of his directorial talents. And, yes, this two-time Oscar winner deserves every bit of praise he receives, from last year’s American Sniper to his masterpiece Unforgiven. But he is out of place focusing on sordid lives in the humid South in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil or celebrating the power of police in The Rookie. And Eastwood is never as out of his element as when trying to stage a musical. With Jersey Boys, based on the Broadway hit, Eastwood reminds us that any director can make wrong choices. In this case, perhaps he should have looked at his musical attempt as a performer (in the disastrous Paint Your Wagon from 1969) before agreeing to direct a song and dance film.

As Woody Allen moves on to his next movie, at least he can take solace that he’s not the only great director to strike the wrong chord.

]]>http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/07/31/irrational-man-a-woody-allen-dud/feed/0Fall field hockeyhttp://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/07/31/fall-field-hockey/
http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/07/31/fall-field-hockey/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 14:14:51 +0000http://www.thereddingpilot.com/?p=25491The Boys and Girls Club of Redding-Easton’s fall field hockey program will be entering its...

The Boys and Girls Club of Redding-Easton’s fall field hockey program will be entering its 12th year this fall. Registration is now open to all girls from Redding and Easton. No previous experience is required to play. The program fee is $125 for second through fourth grade and $200 for fifth through eighth grade. The club provides sticks, balls, and uniforms. Players only need to provide their own goggles and mouthpiece. The varsity players from the Joel Barlow High field hockey team will return this year to run early season clinics. There will be a field hockey kick-off picnic on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club pavilion for all the girls, coaches and parents.

The 10-and-under Connecticut Rockets were crowned champions of the Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League (FCFSL) A Division last Sunday, July, 26, with a 7-6 win over the Bethel Blast. Overall this season, the Rockets’’ three teams (10-and-under, 12-and-under and 14-and-under) have advanced to 13 tournament final games, winning four championships, including three by the 12-and-under team in as many different states. The Rockets will be holding tryouts for the 2016 season next weekend at the Boys & Girls Club of Redding-Easton.

The Connecticut Rockets, a fastpitch travel softball program of the Boys & Girls Club of Redding-Easton, will hold tryouts for the 2016 season.

Players are welcome to participate in one or more sessions in their age group. Questions should be emailed to FastpitchRockets@gmail.com or visit the Rockets website at www.ctrockets.org.

All tryouts are at the Boys & Girls Club of Redding-Easton, 170 Cross Highway, Redding. Dates are as follows